Daktyl is the alias of Rich Lonbay, British producer and remix artist whose electronic creations are influenced by jungle, downtempo, and pop music. Although he began playing guitar as a teenager, he quickly transitioned to beat-making as a college student, using Reason to create his own productions in his dorm room. While still attending university, he signed with Diplo's record label Mad Decent and released his first two singles, "Forgettable (Feat. Evan Mellows" and "Stay (Feat. Dive Deep)," in 2014. The full-length record Cyclical followed in 2015, along with a companion piece, Cyclical (Remixes), that found DJs like Felon, Phase, and Saturn reimagining Daktyl's work. Remixes of Autograf's "Metaphysical" and Machinedrum's "Do It 4 U" followed during the next two years, as did the release of original material like "Here (Feat. Anais Aida)" and "The Act of Hesitation." With its mix of R&B vocals, samples, and moody soundscapes, "The Act of Hesitation" served as the title track for a five-song EP that was released in 2017. Another EP, Riyaaz, was released one year later. By this point, Daktyl's reputation as an underground phenomenon had given way to mainstream success, with publications like Rolling Stone and Billboard singing his praises. Daktyl performed at Coachella, toured Europe as Bonobo's opening act, and returned in 2020 with another album, Unreality, which featured the viral single "Veins Detached." Over the next three years, he released the albums Halcyon (Tape 1) in 2021, Flood in 2022, and Halcyon (Tape 2) in 2023.
